Liquid-testing apparatus



July 7, 1925.

H. F. LICHTENBERG LIQUID TESTING APPARATUS Filed Feb, 11. 1924 a Sheets-Sheet 1 IN-IVEIW-VR I A July 7, 1925.

1,544,663 H. F. LICHTENBERG LIQUID TESTING APPARATUS Filed Feb: 11, 1924 I5 Sheets-Shget. 2

" ivvnvrqzkf July 7, 1925.

H. F. LICHTENBERG LIQUID TESTING APPARATUS Filed Feb; 11. 1924 3 Sheets-5heet 3 Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES tenses PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY r. LIcH'rENBEaG, or KENMORE, NEW YORK} LIQUID-TESTING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 11, 1924. 7 Serial No. 691,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY F. LIoI-r'rEN- BERG, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Kenmore, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Testing A pparatus, of which the following is, a spec fi-,.

cation. 7 V v This invention relates to an apparatus for making chemical bacteriological tests and more particularly an apparatus of this character which is designed for testing the purity of milk in dairies.

It is the object of this invention to provide an apparatus of this character which can be'compactly folded and conveniently carried about from one dairy or milk plant to another, which can be easily and readily unpacked and set up for use and which permits of conducting a large number of tests efliciently. and conveniently so that this in the position which they occupy while making a test ofa plurality of cultures of milk or other liquid which is to be tested.

Figure 4- is a cross section taken on line 4-4;, Figure 5 and showing some of the partspacked or nested preparatory to completely compacting the device ready for transportation.

Figure 5 1s a top planview of the parts shown in Figure 4 with the cover of the water-tank removed and parts of the covers of the test tube box, cork box, and pipette box par'tly broken away. I

. Figure 6 is alongitudinal section of the apparatus inits completely folded or con-o dense'cl condition corresponding toFigure 2. Similar characters of reference refer to likeparts in theseveral views:

. comprises a water .tank which when in use is adapted to contain a rack for supporting In its general organization this apparatus therein a plurality of test tubes containing samples of milk or other liquid which is to be tested, but when the apparatus is packed for transportation this water tank is adapted to hold the means for supporting'the tubes during the testing operation, also the container for the supply of-tubes, the contamer for the supply of corks, the means for supplying heat, and the various other accessories which are employed in connection with mak ng tests suclras pipettes and thermometers, this tank being adapted when in 7 use to be supported upona base or air chamher in which the air is heated for the pur- .pose'o f maintaining 'a proper temperature of the waterwithin the tank.

In the preferred construction the air chamber is made of rectangular form and provided with two longitudinal walls 10,

11 and two transverse walls 12 and 13 connecting the longitudinal walls, and in the upright position of the base itis open at the bottom and at the top. This base may be supported in any suitable manner, for instance by resting its lower edge on a table or other available support so as to close the same on the bottom. The walls of this base are preferably constructed of sheet metal such as copper so that the same is light, not liable to rust and capable of being readily cleaned. When this apparatus of which the base forms a part is to be transported, this base forms an enclosure for the remaining parts of the apparatus and its'transportation is facilitated by providing one of the transverse walls, for instance, the 'w'al112 with a handle 14 of any suitable character for carrying thesame.

In one of the walls of the base or chamber, for example, the wall 10, the same is provided with; an inlet opening 16 through which air is admitted to the airchamber while the apparatus is in use, which opening also serves to admita heatingelement into the air chamber for heating the air therein. This heating element may be of any suitable character, as for instance, an

alcohol lamp 17 which may be moved into and out of the air chamber through the opening 16 thereof. Near its top the walls of the air chamber are provided with a p1u-- ralityof airoutlet openings 18 which permit the escape of heated air from the air chamber and supplement the air outletspaces or passages which are present beshelves 19 secured to the inner sides of thecorners of the air chamber adjacent to the upper edge of the walls thereof, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The means for warming these test tubes comprise a water tank which is preferably constructed oi suitable sheet metal such as copper which can be easily cleaned and comprises twolongitudinal walls 20, 21, twotransverse walls 22 connecting the longitudinal walls, a horizontal bottom 23 connecting the upright walls and a cover 24 removably engaging the upper edges of the tank walls, so as to permit ofopening and closing the latter; This water tank is oi'the same rectangular form as the base or air chamber but. of somewhat smaller circumierential dimensions so thatu-pon engaging the "bottom of this tank with the shoulders 19 of the air chamber, an air passage will be formed between the: space intervening between the side walls of the watertank and the walls of theair chamber.-

By this means an; air bath is provided around the bottom and side walls of the water tank for; the purpose of heating the water which is placed in the latter for producing a water bath whereby the contents of'the material in the. test tubes maintained at the desired; temperature. This water is maintained at the proper height within the tank and when the same V the inlet opening 16 of the wall 100M119 'thus avoid any interference between theparts while compacting them for storage orbase or air chamber so that upon removing hetank from the top; of the base, the latter may be slipped over the tank from the .top of the same andthus'permits of compactly folding or nestingtheseparts inasmuch as at this tune. the. dram cock 25. Wlll enter'the inlet opening 16 otth'e base and transporation,.. this relationof'the parts being represented in Figure 2;.

Thile warming a culture, the test tubes 26, usually of glass, containing the same are supported in-an upright'position withinthe water bathof the tank with the lowerparts or these tubes submerged in the water bath andthe lower ends thereof resting on the bbttomoi' this tank,'. while the upper parts of these tubes are arranged within the tank' above the water level and may have their mouths open ready to receive a. charge of the liquid to'betested or the same may be covered by corks 27 after a sample of the liquid together-with a testing solution has been placed therein.

Thesetest tubes may be supported in this position by any suitable means, but preferably by means of a rack which is so con structed that the same may be employed in an uprightposition for supporting the test tubes in the proper position for making tests and also permit of reversing the rack within the water tank so as to provide a clear storage space in the upper part of the water tank which is. adapted itov receive the container which holds the supply of testtubes, the container which holds a supply of corks, a casing containing pipettes and other. apparatus, and also the lamp 17 or other form of heating element which may beemployed for-producing a warm airbath and water bath preparatory tov making tests In the preferred 'i'orm' of this rack, the same consists of'a table having upper and lower-platesor. sections 28, 29 which are connected at their corresponding corners by legs 30 projecting downwardly therefrom, said table sections or plates being provided with a plurality of registering openings 31 which are adapted to receive the test'tubes and are preferably arrangedinregular rows lengthwise and crosswise-of the rack was to facilitate keeping the-test tubes in order. and maintaining a record of the same during the operation of makingtests of diiierent samples of milk or other liquids which are to be tested. Whenlthe apparatus is in use for making tests, the table or supporting plates of the rack is arranged in the upper part of the water tank below the water level therein and is supported in this position by means'oi its legs resting at their lower ends on the bottom oi the water tank, as shown in Figure 3.1 When, however, this apparatus isrearranged so as to permit of folding or packing the same compactly, the rack is inv rted' so that its table or perforated plates rest'on the bottom of the water tank andits legsproject upwardly therefrom in the corner of the tank thereby providing a storage space within the upper part of the latter as above described, and as shown in Figures 4 and ii. 7

In the preferred organization of this testing apparatus, th'esupply of test tubes is preferably stored in a container which is of rectangular form. and has its walls 32'constructed of'sheet metal and provided" at its. upper end with a removable cover 33; while its'bottom 34: is constructed of perforated metal, thereby permitting this container to be used as a drying. box after the tubes have been usedby placing the tubes; into'this box with their mouths turned downwardly to ward the bottom, but at other times when the tubes are dry, the same'may' be stored within this container with their mouths facing upwardly toward the cover and thus reduce the possibility of dust getting into the tubes.

The corks 27 are stored in a container which is preferably of rectangular form and has its walls constructed of sheet metal and provided with a detachable cover 36 and a perforated bottom 37 so as to permit of .conveniently draining or drying these corks after the same have been washed and'placed in the cork container while still moist or wet.

The pipettes 38 forming parts of the means for taking samples of the solutions which are to be tested and the thermometer 39 for observing the temperature of the water bath in the tank and other accessories of a like character such as a burette 139 may be enclosed in a casing 410 of any suitable character, which casing together with the heating lamp 17, test tube draining box and cork or stopper draining box are placed side by side in a space within the watertank above the inverted test tube rack, as shown in Figures 1, 5 and 6, thereby utilizing this space to the best advantage and reducing the bulk of the apparatus as a whole. This water tank containing the above mentioned parts after being lifted off from the base or air chamber is introduced into the latter from the bottom thereof, whereby the air chamber and water tank are telescoped one within the other and the walls of the air chamber form an enclosing casing for the apparatus. These several parts may now be securely fastened together so that they will not come apart while carrying or transporting the same for which purpose it is preferable to employ a strap 41 which is passed around the 'walls of the air chamber and cility and with perfect safety to the several parts constituting the testing apparatus.

This apparatusas a whole 1s very simple and comparatively inexpensive 1n construction, it contains no parts which are liable to get out of order, it. permits of assembling the parts when not in use so as to produce a very compact structure while at the'same time permitting theseveral parts to be readily set up and assembled in their proper relative position ready for use and making a plurality of tests with facility and expedition and thus'enable this work to be done at a minimum cost.

I claim as my invention:

1. A chemical bacteriological testing apparatus comprising an air chamber having an open top and bottom, an inlet in the lower part of one of its walls for the admission of air and the introduction of a heating burner, air outlet openings in the upper parts of its walls, and internal shoulders on the upper parts of its walls, and a water tank of smaller dimensions than said air chamber adapted to rest with its bottom on said shoulders and provided with a drain cock on one of its walls in line with the inlet opening of said air chamber.

2. A chemical bacteriological testing apparatus comprising an air chamber having an open top and bottom, an inlet in the lower part of one of its walls for the admission of airand the introduction of a heating burner, air outlet openings in the upper parts of its walls, and internal shoulders on the upper parts of its walls, a water tank of smaller dimensions than said air chamber adapted to rest with its bottom on said shoulders and provided with a drain cock on one of its walls in line with the inlet opening of said air chamber and a cover for said tank.

3. A chemical bacteriological testing apparatus comprising an air chamber having an open top and bottom, an inlet in the lower part of one of its walls for the admission of air and the introduction of a heating burner, air outlet openings in the upper parts of its walls, and internal shoulders on the up-- per parts of its walls, a water tank of smaller dimensions than said air chamber adapted to rest with its bottom on said shoulders and provided with a drain cock on one of its walls in line with the inlet opening of said air chamber, a reversible rack arranged in said tank and adapted to support test tubes, and a cover for said tank.

HARRY F. LICHTENBERG. 

